Abu al-Walid

Abdulaziz bin Omar Al-Ghamdi (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن عمر الغامدي; 1967 – 16 April 2004), better known by his nom de guerre Abu al-Walid (Arabic: ابو الوليد), was a Saudi Arabian pan-Islamist militant. Although he participated in several conflicts in Central Asia and the Balkans, he is best known for his involvement in the First and Second Chechen Wars, where he was one of the most notable non-Chechen militant leaders. He was killed in April 2004 in Chechnya by Russian federal forces. Al-Walid was one of the most prominent Arabs fighting in Chechnya. In 2002 he took over as emir (commander) of an autonomous unit, composed mostly of non-Chechen mujahideen, following the death of Ibn al-Khattab on 20 March 2002. Abu al-Walid was accused by the Russians of terrorist attacks on civilians, and alleged to be an agent of Saudi intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Bin Laden's al-Qaeda. He never responded or admitted to any of the accusations, but condemned abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.